800 Words Season 2 Review

Season two of 800 Words continues to follow the lives of the Turner family. It picks up at end of the previous season. Shay is still hiding from her problems in Sydney, while George and Arlo try and find a way to convince her to return to Weld.

With her return to Weld she brings even more drama with her, as she has somehow smuggled her mothers ashes in to New Zealand, much to her grandparents’ dismay. This leaves George having to deal with his stressed children, furious in-laws, juggling his two jobs and trying to find love again.

With most of the show set in the fictional New Zealand coastal town Weld, 800 Words does an excellent job of demonstrating how in a small town, everyone knows everything about everyone, and how this can lead to drama. That being said some of the events are somewhat predictable however, the execution makes it entertaining to watch. This is due to the writing and cast.

Actor Erik Thomson won a Logie for his role as George Turner last year and has been nominated again this year, and it’s not hard to see why. He is an experienced actor who has been in several films and movies, including Packed to the Rafters. This was not the only Logie the show won last year, Melina Vidler also won a Logie for most outstanding newcomer actress for her role as Shay Turner. This year the show is up for three nominations. Thomson is in the running again this year for best actor, Ricky Donald, who plays fan favourite Woody, is nominated for best supporting actor and the show is nominated for best drama program.

The show has a gallery of different characters all with strengths, flaws and humour. However, this season they introduced their first character without any redeemable features, with Robbie’s return. This is strange for the show as it has a pattern of giving the ‘bad guys’ some redeemable quality to make them more human and more relatable. Does this mean they will show a more softer side to Robbie further down the road? Also in the last few episodes they have stated to show a darker side to one of the more light hearted characters. It seems like they might use this character to address some serious real world problems including manipulation and abuse.

Overall, 800 Words is a show that is well written and acted, this allows it to get away with some predictable plot points as well as some big surprises. It will be interesting to see where the show goes next season, especially after the cliff hanger in the season finale.